BTT 1O1-Unit 1-Digital Literacy Updated September 2022
COMPUTER BASICS
Lesson 7: Inside a Desktop Computer
Instructions: Please visit http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/inside-a-computer/1/ and
complete the following questions.
1. The Motherboard (heart) The motherboard is the computer's main circuit board.
It's a thin plate that holds the CPU, Memory, connectors
for the hard drive and optical drive, expansion cards to
control the video and audio, and connections to your
computer's ports (such as USB ports). The motherboard
connects directly or indirectly to every part of the computer.
The Central Processing Unit (CPU), also called a
2. The Central Processing Unit processor, is located inside the computer case on the
(brain) motherboard. It is sometimes called the brain of the
computer, and its job is to carry out commands. Whenever
you press a key, click the mouse, or start an application, you
are sending instructions to the CPU.
The CPU is usually a two-inch ceramic square with a
silicon chip located inside. The chip is usually about the
size of a thumbnail. The CPU fits into the motherboard's
CPU socket, which is covered by the heat sink, an object
that absorbs heat from the CPU.
A processor's speed is measured in megahertz (MHz), or
millions of instructions per second; and gigahertz (GHz),
or billions of instructions per second. A faster processor can
execute instructions more quickly. However, the actual
speed of the computer depends on the speed of many
different components—not just the processor.
3. What does RAM stand for? R Random
A Access
M Memory
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COMPUTER BASICS
Lesson 7: Inside a Desktop Computer
Instructions: Please visit http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/inside-a-computer/1/ and
complete the following questions.
1. The Motherboard (heart) The motherboard is the computer's main circuit board.
It's a thin plate that holds the CPU, Memory, connectors
for the hard drive and optical drive, expansion cards to
control the video and audio, and connections to your
computer's ports (such as USB ports). The motherboard
connects directly or indirectly to every part of the computer.
The Central Processing Unit (CPU), also called a
2. The Central Processing Unit processor, is located inside the computer case on the
(brain) motherboard. It is sometimes called the brain of the
computer, and its job is to carry out commands. Whenever
you press a key, click the mouse, or start an application, you
are sending instructions to the CPU.
The CPU is usually a two-inch ceramic square with a
silicon chip located inside. The chip is usually about the
size of a thumbnail. The CPU fits into the motherboard's
CPU socket, which is covered by the heat sink, an object
that absorbs heat from the CPU.
A processor's speed is measured in megahertz (MHz), or
millions of instructions per second; and gigahertz (GHz),
or billions of instructions per second. A faster processor can
execute instructions more quickly. However, the actual
speed of the computer depends on the speed of many
different components—not just the processor.
3. What does RAM stand for? R Random
A Access
M Memory
Page 1 of 3
